Fear
by Ataramos
Summary: Halloween, the AlBhed holiday, is approaching. But one certain AlBhed isn't looking forward to the evening...[contains ShoujoAi]


Fear

A Final Fantasy X-2 fanfiction, set after the 'good' ending, mild game spoiler. Possible spoiler for my 'Ruby and Emerald' story, though really, you saw it coming.

* * *

The Al-bhed holiday of Halloween was fast approaching, Spira gearing up for the parties and fun. Ever since the advent of the Eternal Calm, bits and pieces of Al-bhed culture seeped their way into the society, but none quite as big as Halloween. Maybe it was the solemn remembrance of people who passed on that caught people's liking, but most likely it was the parties that came first to symbolically take back the world from the fiends and unsent that people liked more. Children would dress like fiends in a mocking manner, and take the 'offerings' left by people to keep from having some prank pulled on their home. Adults would dress up as well and hold parties, a time of celebration and playful attempts to scare each other with stories of dreadful fiends and frightening Unsent.

"Al-bhed really don't like the Unsent, do they?" Paine casually remarked as she walked the crowded streets of Luca, Yuna at her side, watching Rikku dart from one storefront to the other on a mission to find the perfect something.

Yuna blinked, shifting her packages in her arms as she tilted her head curiously, glancing up at Paine. "No, not really. They also think that the images conjured up in the Farplane are simply tricks of your memory, and not actual spirits of the deceased. Sort of like how the Pyre-flies did in…well." She shivered at the allusion to the Den of Woe, and the events that happened within.

Paine made a brief face. "Yeah, I can see where they'd get that belief."

"Why do you ask though? About the Unsent? Because of the holiday?" Yuna laughed lightly as she dodged a running child, then turned her gaze back to the taller woman next to her.

"Partly. Earlier today Rikku had gotten, well, enraged at Brother for something he said, all I caught was something about the Unsent, and he seemed to be doing more than just teasing her. She flipped. And I mean more than your usual sibling jousting, she had her daggers out." Paine smirked slightly at the memory, secretly a little proud of Rikku's speed in dealing with her brother. "If Tidus hadn't stepped in I'd almost wager we'd be less one pilot."

"Oh that's what he was talking about when he told me that we needed to get Rikku off the ship for a while. He only vaguely mentioned a fight, didn't say what or with who though." Yuna frowned softly with concern as she peered over the crowd to spy her cousin's bright yellow hair.

"I think she's alright now, she calmed down rather quickly after I got her off the bridge." Paine took one of Yuna's bags that was in danger of falling and slipped it into the large bag that Rikku had handed off on her. They walked in silence for a few moments, though Paine could almost swear that she heard the gears turning in Yuna's mind.

Sure enough, a few moments later Yuna spoke again. "I wonder why she got so upset, or what was said. I mean, she traveled with Sir Auron, and I kind of think she knew before anyone else did. She didn't have an obvious issue with him…"

Paine cleared her throat lightly in warning as she saw Rikku approaching, Yuna quickly adapting a smile over her curiosity. The lithe Al-bhed gravitated to Paine's side, latching to the warrior's arm as she peered into the bag. "You guys think we have enough stuff? Lulu said she had the food, right?"

Yuna giggled lightly at the blush on Paine's cheeks as Rikku took her usual spot. The two were a little more open about their relationship now that Tidus was back in Yuna's life, after enduring the lecture about hiding it from her. They were quiet about it when out in public, keeping it a little less obvious, for though such relationships were accepted in Al-bhed society, all about living for the moment, they were still a little frowned upon by most of Spira, the old ideas of being with someone to continue your family name before Sin wiped it out still entrenched in many people's minds. She was happy for her friends, and didn't care what others may think, her opinion on the matter was well known, and her opinion as the High Summoner held a lot of weight. "Yeah, Lulu said she'd take care of the food. Tidus said he was going to enlist Barkeep, Buddy and Brother to get some of the larger items for the party."

"Great! Besaid is going to rock! I'm so glad we managed to talk Wakka and Lulu into this." Rikku grinned as she steered Paine towards one of the shops selling treats.

"Well, Lulu did seem quite intrigued by the idea." Paine let herself be pulled along, Yuna trailing after. "Though I think she liked the more mystical aspects of the holiday more."

"Yeah, and Wakka is always up for a party. He apparently got the kids all riled up for it, and Lulu's enjoying the parental side of making the kids happy too, aside from the whole magic thing." Yuna skipped around a tilting candy display and peered into the section with the hand-made costumes and masks.

Rikku thanked the vendor and handed off another bag on Paine, nodding as he turned around. "Yeah, well, I'm just glad to be able to really celebrate it again! So busy with things for so long…of course, now that I said that, something –else- will happen that we'll end up dealing with." She stuck out her tongue and Paine laughed lightly.

"Think of it as something to do, otherwise you'd be bored to death." The warrior shifted the bags a bit and tried to steer Rikku and Yuna towards the Celsius instead of further inland towards more shops.

Rikku let herself be led, slipping her hand into Paine's. "That's why I sphere-hunt. And drag you along."

Yuna giggled as she passed the two and turned down the street heading towards the docks. "Always one with the backup plan incase things get boring, hey Rikku?"

"Of course Yunie! And what better way than to pull along someone I care about?"

Paine blushed faintly, her mind drifting from the conversation Yuna and Rikku turned to, her thoughts instead thinking of her life before joining the Gullwings. Sure, it was exciting, but had an overbearing sense of darkness, like it was never going to really go anywhere. Then Sin was defeated, and the things she had strived to do evaporated with the wind, something she could technically blame on Rikku and Yuna, truth told. She found it somewhat amusing that they who took away so many options from her should instead open up her life in ways she never quite imagined, and, she had to admit, for the best. She also did get to save Spira, it just wasn't from Sin as previously intended.

Lightly squeezing Rikku's hand, she looked over to the blond walking in a controlled bounce at her side. Paine had never thought that she would fall in love, let alone with another woman, but fall she had, and hard for the Al-bhed thief, and because of Rikku's culture, grew comfortable with it as it grew all the sweeter. Shifting the bags in her arms, she glanced down, the question earlier posed to Yuna surfacing again.

"_Why are you so afraid of the Unsent? There's phobia, and then there's this…it just seems so much more than a fear like the fear of fire or spiders or something…most of all though, why do I feel like I really should know, in a 'just incase' sort of sense?" _

"Paine? Hello, Spira to Paine?" The warrior was pulled from her musing by Rikku's hand waving in front of her face, reaching up to bat it away with the handful of bags.

"What?" She wrinkled her nose faintly at the giggle from Yuna and Rikku.

"You were rather lost in thought there, Paine. Almost ran into Tidus." Yuna giggled, and Paine realized that yes, she had almost run into the blitzball player, who was now at Yuna's side, and also stuck carrying the girl's packages. Behind them, Brother and Buddy were carrying assorted boxes and bags up into the Celsius.

"What, I'm not allowed to think?"

"Sure you are, just not when you're walking, cause you apparently can't think and walk at the same time!" Tidus grinned and quickly turned and ran towards the airship when Paine gave a threatening growl, and chased after.

"Hurt time!"

Rikku and Yuna nearly collapsed onto the dock with laughter, their voices echoing off the buildings nearby as the sun climbed towards it's apex of the day, finally gathering their wits enough to run after to save Yuna's boyfriend.

* * *

A short time later found the Celsius flying through the sky, headed for Besaid Island. Tidus had received the proper 'hurt time' in the form of a headlock, and was now in the cabin with Yuna, putting together small bags of treats for the children, Paine watching with faint interest and occasionally handing over a bag of candy or small toys. Rikku had bounced through several minutes before, rummaged below her bed for a few minutes, and had somehow managed to slip out without anyone noticing until five minutes afterwards. Paine looked around the cabin again just to make certain, then spoke up.

"So, Yuna, about the whole Unsent thing..?" Paine tried to not sound too interested, but knew that asking about it twice in one day certainly looked curious.

Yuna blinked, looking confused for a moment, then made an 'oh' sound. "Oh, right…"

"Huh? Unsent thing?" Tidus quirked an eyebrow and looked between Paine and Yuna for an explanation.

"Paine is wondering about Rikku's…dislike….of Unsent. Oh, you were there, did you happen to hear what Brother said to her this morning that got her so upset at him?"

Tidus blinked, and Paine hid a smile at how clueless Tidus proved himself be sometimes. Considering what she knew of his, well, his entire existence, this wasn't too surprising, but despite this he still occasionally had remarkable insight on some things, including her girlfriend's thought processes. Probably came from the time together on the pilgrimage, Yuna said that Tidus and Rikku were very good friends during the trip, and had simply picked up where left off when he returned. This was likely from their similar attitudes and outlooks on life, though surprisingly enough, Rikku was a little more jaded than Tidus, her sense of humor occasionally held quite the dark streak.

"He didn't say much, actually, just something about her 'visitor' before she launched herself at him. Donno what he was talking about though." Tidus made a face as Yuna snacked his hand as he tried to sneak a piece of candy.

"Visitor? Why would she get upset about that? She meeting someone she didn't want others to know about?" Paine squashed down paranoid thoughts about Rikku seeing someone behind her back, scolding herself for it.

Yuna shrugged as she folded a few bags closed and set them aside. "I've no idea. You might want to ask Buddy?" Yuna swung her legs back and forth a little while giving Paine a look, faintly biting her lower lip. "Or, you know, you could ask Rikku herself, Paine..."

Paine sighed lightly. "I know I could, but it upset her so this morning, I don't really want to incur her wrath from bringing it back up again."

"But if it's something important, I think you or Yuna are the people she'd be most likely to talk to. She wouldn't explain it when I asked before, and if she's not going to talk to me, she'll talk to you two." Tidus managed to get a piece of candy and dodged Yuna's swipe.

"You asked her about it?" Paine frowned slightly, and the blond blitzball player held up his hands defensively.

"No! Well, not about what you want to ask her about, I just asked her if she was okay and she said she didn't want to talk about it, then you took her off the bridge."

Paine sighed softly and nodded a bit, standing. "Well, I'll go find her at least, and we'll see after that. Thanks."

"You're welcome Paine." Yuna smiled reassuringly, and Tidus nodded in agreement.

Waving lightly, Paine walked from the cabin to the hallway and down to the elevator, pausing as she listened to the machine approach. Rikku had kept glaring at Brother when they had gotten back earlier, so she supposed that Rikku was likely not on the bridge. She wasn't very fond of the noise of the engine room either, so when the elevator arrived, Paine selected the deck, glancing around when the doors opened. Sure enough, there was Rikku, seated with her back against the back of the support that held the metal gull at the front of the airship, her hair blowing about only a little in her sheltered position. Paine was faintly confused at noticing that Rikku was in her Black Mage dressphere, and she was reading a book.

Striding over, not attempting to mask the sound, Paine adopted a light smile, something she found easy to do around the Al-bhed girl, the motion and emotion behind it natural now. Rikku looked up as Paine approached, a smile spreading as she closed the book, a little hurriedly Paine noticed, and slipped it behind her.

"Paine! Escape from Yuna and Tidus? Or are we nearing Besaid?" Rikku looked out over the water to try to figure their location.

Paine shook her head as she crouched down in front of Rikku, using the 'hood ornament' as a shield from the wind as well. "No. Well, I did get away from Yuna and Tidus, I wasn't really being that much of a help to them anyway." She shifted to sit crosslegged and gestured towards Rikku. "So why the Black Mage getup? Kind of a cheating way for a costume."

Rikku wrinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue, an expression that gave the warrior a little internal smile every time it appeared. "Nooo. Im using warrior for my costume." She grinned and moved to sit in Paine's lap, wrapping her arms up around the taller girl's neck.

Settling her arms about Rikku's waist, Paine laughed softly. "So I suppose I should dress up as a thief?"

Rikku nuzzled her face to Paine's shoulder, the other girl reaching up to lightly bat away the top peak of the hat. "Of course. Or maybe your Lady Luck sphere...mrr." She giggled and kissed at Paine's neck.

Paine held back a faint groan at the touch of Rikku's lips against her skin, massaging her fingers along the smaller girl's back. Her whole reason for coming to the deck started to fade from her mind as Rikku slowly worked her kisses up to her ear, this time indeed drawing a sound from the dark clad woman, causing her words to stutter slightly."Y..yeah, that is your favorite of my spheres, isn't it? The dress isn't...isn't too practical though."

"Pft, who needs practical when going to a party?" Rikku nipped at Paine's earlobe, glancing out to the side and spying a few island landmarks to show how much time they had before landing in Besaid. Deciding there was enough time for play, she slipped her hands down around Paine's sides and over her hips.

"Well that's true, but I..mmf..." Paine's protest was silenced by Rikku's lips pressing to her own and she gave in to the kiss, no more words spoken on the deck for the remainder of the flight.

* * *

"Hey, we thought you was lost somewhere along the way!" Wakka's teasing voice greeted the Celsius as the door opened to the dock. "The kids are drivin Lu nuts waitin for you." The red headed man generally considered the village 'elder' laughed and walked forward, clapping Tidus on the shoulder before lifting Yuna in a hug, giving Rikku a squeeze and Paine a pat to her back. He waved to Brother and Buddy as they came out afterwards, each carrying a box, everyone else picking up something and heading down the dock.

"Like we'd miss a party!" Rikku grinned and spun about, taking the box from Buddy. Back in her thief sphere, she bounced down the dock towards the village, Paine following after with two boxes of supplies.

"We got a little held up in Luca, there were a lot of ships coming and going and it took us a bit to get away from the dock." Yuna explained, waving to Lulu and the other villagers gathered in the village center. The smell of food filled the air, a large bonfire already built as the sun crept closer to the horizon. Lanterns dotted the edges of the village, the Aurochs helping set up a few last decorations, people milling about and a few villagers setting up for music. The whole place held a playful but slightly spooky air, Lulu taking the traditions to heart, earning a squeak of surprise and excitement from Rikku.

"Lulu!" Rikku dropped her box and ran over to the older woman, wrapping her in a hug. "This looks fantastic! You did everything I told you about!" She bounced about a bit, and Lulu chuckled lightly.

"Well Rikku, you are an authority on the holiday, your advice is sound." Lulu returned the greeting nod from Paine and gave Yuna a hug, then taking Rikku's discarded box and handing off the decorations to the Aurochs. Vidina made a bit of a squalling sound from his playpen, Paine picking the little boy up since she was closest, blushing faintly at the look of amusement she got from Tidus and Yuna.

"It does look wonderful Lulu. What can we help with?" Yuna spun around in a slow circle, taking in the decorations. "Looks like you guys have nearly everything done already!"

Lulu took Vidina from Paine, bouncing the little boy on her hip, freeing up Paine to help the boys with the heavier boxes, the mage raising an eyebrow slightly as she watched the dark clad woman. "Now that you've brought the last supplies, there's not much that needs to be done, time to settle in and enjoy the evening."

Yuna nodded and jogged over to Tidus, catching hold of his wrist and dragging him off into a tent, likely to change. Lulu watched as the children disappeared only to reappear a moment later in various costumes and begin to run about. Most were home constructed, and didn't totally look like the fiends they were supposed to represent, but in that way became their own breed of monster. Paine and Rikku simply stepped aside, Lulu watching with curiosity as a small light show ensued, each of the two women disappearing from sight only to reappear clad in different clothing, looking a bit as if they had switched clothes, switching 'jobs'. Yuna and Tidus came out, and Lulu was unable to hold back a laugh, Wakka echoing it. Yuna had dressed as an aeon, Vaelfor, and Tidus was in a getup similar to that worn by Yuna's father, a reversal of rolls, in a sense, similar to what Paine and Rikku had done, only a bit more elaborate. Shaking her head with an amused smile, Lulu pulled out two simple pairs of horns, putting the smaller ones on Vidina and the others on herself. The Aurochs had decided that their personal fiends were the other blitz teams, opting to dress in alternate team uniforms, and most of the other adults in the village had something similar to what Lulu had done.

The party was quick to get underway, a few games planned with prizes for both children and adults, and plenty of food and music. The early night was cool but not uncomfortable if one kept near the bonfire. The children eventually dropped off to sleep one by one, a few of the adults following, but most staying up to talk. Buddy was the first to suggest telling scary stories, he and Brother putting on quite a show that ended up with the stories more amusing than anything due to the over the top theatrics. Most of the costumes had been removed as people sat about, Rikku and Paine switching back to their normal spheres and cuddling together next to Lulu and Wakka.

Paine was used to dealing with Rikku when the girl was filled with sugar, but she was quick to notice that her hyperness was a little more like unease, and intent to not listen to the stories being shared. Her earlier questions of the Unsent returned to her mind as she glanced about, trying to figure out a way to distract Rikku and calm her down. Leaning in, she whispered into Rikku's ear. "Hey, want to go for a walk?"

Usually Rikku would jump at the chance to get Paine off on her own, away from others. But tonight she hesitated, the blond faintly biting her lower lip as she glanced over her shoulder towards the darkened jungle. "A walk?"

"Yeah, you know, when you put one foot in front of the other in order to move yourself from point A to point B?"

Rikku smirked slightly and nipped at Paine's shoulder. "Smartass. It's kinda cool out though..."

"Are you kidding? And how many times have we walked around Mt. Gagazet looking for spheres without complaining about the temperature?"

Rikku wrinkled her nose and rolled her eyes, standing and fidgeting from foot to foot while waiting for Paine to stand. "Okay okay, we'll walk."

Paine caught Lulu's eye and tilted her head towards the pathway, indicating their intent, getting a nod from the mage. Standing, she offered Rikku her arm, which was quickly taken, and they started off down the path towards the beach.

Silence fell over the two women as they walked, the only sounds the normal night noises of the island, the sound of their footsteps on the dirt path, and the ocean brushing against the shore in the distance. Occasionally something in the jungle would cause a twig to snap or a rustle of leaves, each time causing Rikku to jump and tighten her hold on Paine's arm. All of the earlier questions regarding the Unsent came rushing back to Paine, and she tried to find a way to break the silence. She looked down at Rikku and watched as the girl seemed to refuse to look at the jungle, only looking over when she jumped in surprise, focusing her attention on the path in front of her or the partial moon up in the sky.

Another sound caused Rikku to jump and squeak, and Paine managed to work up her courage, softly clearing her throat. "Rikku, are you okay?"

The thief jumped yet again and quickly adopted a false smile, looking up at Paine. "Of course I am!"

"Are you sure? You don't seem to be..."

Rikku sighed and shrugged a little. "I'm having fun, honestly. I love this holiday! I just don't quite like the spooky parts of it..." She let go of Paine's arm and wrapped her arms around herself, walking over to some of the rocks in the clearing they had come to, leaning her stomach forward against the stone.

Paine walked up behind Rikku, reaching up and starting to lightly massage her shoulders. "I noticed, but this seems like a little more than slight dislike...what is it?"

Rikku tensed noticeably below Paine's hands, shaking her head a little. "I can't tell you."

Squeezing the muscle below her hands, Paine softly wrapped her arms around the other girl's waist. "Yes you can. We agreed that we can talk about whatever we need to, remember?"

"I know, but I can't." Rikku shook her head and drew away from Paine's hold, her face twisted in a frown as she continued to shake her head and look down towards the ground, arms wrapped tightly about her still.

Paine frowned lightly herself, crossing her arms loosely about her chest and carefully watching Rikku walk about in small circle. "I don't want to sound annoyed, but why not? Does this have anything to do with what happened on the Celsius this morning?"

Rikku kicked a stone across the clearing and scowled at the ground. "Kinda." She glanced up at the jungle and quickly turned and headed back towards Paine, then began to pace back and forth. Paine stood quietly, a look of caring concern on her features as she watched, keeping her presence known. Rikku turned and faced Paine, jaw clenched as she rubbed her hands along her arms. "I don't want you to...everyone I've told...you'll just think Im lying or that Im crazy! I don't want you to think Im Sin-sick or something. People say that's all it is."

It wrenched at Paine's heart to see the look of defeat on Rikku's face. Stepping forward, she wrapped her arms around the small thief and drew her close. "I promise that I'd never think that of you, Rikku."

Rikku grasped at the edge of Paine's shawl, holding tightly to it as she pressed her face to the taller woman's shoulder. "I..." She shivered lightly below Paine's touch, though Paine noticed that her body was more heated than she expected. "It only happens around this time of year, like, tonight. Sometimes hints of it before, never after, but its all worse on this night."

"What is?"

"I..." Rikku bit her lower lip and looked up to Paine, then down again. "...they..."

A crack from the forest drew both of their attention, Rikku tensing up again. Her eyes darted about the shadows as she tried to get even closer to Paine than she already was. Paine bristled at the feeling of growing unease in the air, the sense that they weren't alone getting stronger. "They?" She prompted, her own eyes looking about the edges of the forest.

"They're coming."

This time the snap in the woods wasn't just a solitary sound, and became a slow, plodding series of footsteps, shuffling through the grass and fallen leaves. At first Paine thought it was simply the wind, but soon it became obvious there was the sound of a voice on the wind, what it was saying, she couldn't quite tell. Rikku whimpered and pressed tighter to Paine, trembling even stronger than before.

"Hello? Who's out there?" Paine called out to the shadows, tightening her hold on Rikku with one arm, reaching behind her to draw her sword into existence.

Another shuffling sound joined the first, from a slightly different angle, off to the side. There were further murmurings on the wind, louder, darker, angrier. There was the shine of something in the shadows, something that took the shape of an eye. Faint, wicked, laughter echoed behind her and Paine growled. Rikku pulled herself away from Paine's grasp and crouched on the ground, holding her hands up to cover her ears. She started to rock back and forth slightly, murmuring just loud enough for Paine to hear.

"They're coming again, to yell at me and hurt me...to say its my fault..to say its my fault..." She began to repeat herself, clenching her eyes closed. "...they'll say it's my fault..."

Paine twisted to face the laughter, scowling at the shadow she saw moving in a jerky fashion forward, a human shape. She tried to put herself between whatever they were and Rikku, constantly shifting her position as she saw more moving in the jungle, one coming down the path. She still couldn't understand what they were saying, but it soon became clear that they were repeating themselves, like the woman crouched at her feet. She growled lightly and crouched down, glancing over to Rikku. "Rikku. Rikku, listen to me, what is this?"

Rikku didn't respond, her own murmurs growing a little louder. "I'm not a Yevonite! I'm not! I'm not!"

"What? What are they accusing you of?" Paine snarled at one of the shadows, threateningly pointing the tip of her sword at it. She was greatly irritated to see that the dark shape seemed intent on ignoring her, focused on Rikku despite the threatening sword.

"That won't work! They don't care, I can't fight them! They'll just claw and whisper and laugh and tear at me until the sun rises...oh Ixion!" Rikku abruptly stammered out, then scrambled back against Paine's side with a soft cry, jerking her arm back. One of the smaller shadows had crept up out of Paine's watch, a long, red scratch appearing on the back of Rikku's wrist.

A flash of silver cut through the air as Paine's sword swung down and through the cat sized shadow with a soft 'whish'. The shadow dissipated into a cloud, Paine feeling a momentary sense of triumph that was cut short as the cloud slowly reformed into the solid shadow again. "Crap."

Rikku began to cry softly, holding her wrist as she frantically glanced around her. "No one believes me...no one could..." She jerked slightly as she realized something, looking up to Paine. "Why can you see them! No one else can! Oh Ixion, they're stronger then! They're going to kill me!"

"They have to kill -me- first." Paine slashed at another of the shadows as she reached down and wrapped her free arm around Rikku, lifting the girl up to her as she ran through the mist where the slowly reforming shadow was. She gasped in surprise at the cold which literally filled her body as the mist curled around her and Rikku before she broke through and dashed down the path.

For a moment she cursed inwardly at noticing that she had in her haste to get away run away from the village and towards the beach, but after glancing over her shoulder and seeing the glowing eyes in the shadows of the woods, she decided that the more open and clear beach provided a better location to fight. The laughter and unintelligible murmurs echoed behind her as she ran, Rikku clinging to her tighter than she ever had before. Her steps thudded in the sand as she sprinted through the little gorge and to the beach, slowing only a little as she reached the center of the wide beach, glancing around. She saw no indication of the shadows on the beach, but by the sounds behind she knew they were coming. To her dismay, she noticed that the Celsius was moored out away from the shore, likely to let ships come in to the dock, but it was now unreachable easily, and she couldn't spy a boat to take to it. Paine growled in frustration before jumping slightly in surprise as Rikku cried out into her ear, the thief reflexively jerking back as she saw the approaching horrors from behind.

Paine set Rikku down, grasping Rikku's shoulder with one hand. "Rikku, listen. I don't know what these are, I don't know what they want with you. But our weapons can affect them, even a little. You can't hide! I'm here, and I won't let them get you, do you hear me?"

Rikku's eyes were filled with fear, more than Paine could recall ever seeing, not even when they were confronted with Paine's personal hell of the Den of Woe. For a moment Paine half expected Rikku to refuse and hide, and she wouldn't have blamed her, but to Paine's eternal pride, nodded and pulled out her daggers. She did stay behind Paine, but turned to face the things coming. "I...I don't know why they always come, I don't know what they want. They accuse me of being a murderer, of killing them, but I never did! They call me a Yevonite, I'm frickin Al-bhed!"

Paine swung her sword back and forth in front of herself as she adopted a battle stance, protecting Rikku. "I don't think they can physically hurt you if they're dissipated into that mist, so strike at their core and make them shift to that. I don't know why they think that Rikku, but these things, they don't seem like ordinary Unsent, and thats what I think they are. Somehow. But remember? They don't always remember, or see vital details like who you actually are and crap." She curled her lip into a snarl as she eyed the first approaching shadows, so much clearer and easier to see on the moonlit beach, their unnatural gait a little unnerving. "How long do they stay?"

A soft whimper escaped Rikku as she chewed on her lower lip. "Until I pass out from what they've done. Then when I wake up, it would be gone, which is why no one would believe me..."

"Your brother's an idiot." Paine struck out, dispersing the shadow and the one behind it. "We have to keep moving a little too, alright?" She saw Rikku nod behind her, and they moved back several feet together.

Paine's irritation grew as she watched more of the shadows move closer. By her count, she saw at least ten, and had a feeling there were a few more in the background. They usually struck in unison, blades causing one shadow to break into mist only to be replaced by another. Their constant motion kept them from getting surrounded, but they seemed to be catching on to this.

"Paine, they're getting smarter! They're going to try to surround us..." Rikku stumbled a little as she backed away from the latest ones to mist, her eyes a little frantic as she looked around.

Paine grunted in acknowledgment, a hiss of pain escaping her as one of the shadows managed to hit her shoulder before she was able to strike it herself. She was amazed at how much the small scratch hurt and burned with a cold fire, a dull throb starting there. Knowing the affect of their touch, Paine now knew exactly why it was that Rikku wasn't hitting as well as she usually would, the scratch on her wrist likely hurt worse. She was struck again, and heard Rikku get hit as well, but for the most part, they were keeping the shadows away from them. Then the moon went behind the clouds.

Suddenly, the shadows had more strength, a greater speed. When Paine slashed through one, it didn't fully dissipate, only stopped for a moment to heal the wound. Rikku gave a low moan of dismay, and Paine noticed she had dropped one of her daggers, her arm hanging uselessly at her side. "Paine..."

"Damnit, all of you go to HELL!" Paine began to use a few of her elemental attacks, her strikes doing more damage now, to the point where it seemed like they were actually hurting the horrors. She snarled as one slammed into her side, knocking her off balance as she staggered to the side.

"Paine!" Rikku cried out as the shadows took advantage of Paine's stagger and moved between them, driving Rikku back. She went into full dodge mode, not fighting back as she focused on keeping away from the shadows clawing hands and slashing nails.

Paine began to use Excalibur, despite it's drain on her, a good, solid strike from it actually destroying one of the horrors as she grinned wickedly at finding a way to harm them instead. It had to be a good hit to make one completely disappear, and as the shadows saw this, they too began to go more on the defensive, half of the group splitting off and focusing on Paine. "Yeah, that's it assholes, come after me." She seemed to be gaining a bit of headway, her battle fury growing further, a bit of the thrill at being in a fight tingling at the back of her mind. That is, before Rikku's piercing scream rang out across the beach.

Things seemed to go in slow motion for several moments as Paine turned towards the sound. She saw one of the horrors pull back it's arm, claw bloody from the strike it had delivered to Rikku's back. The other shadows stepped back as Rikku stumbled forward, seeming to focus on enjoying her pain instead of attacking further. Paine knew she called out Rikku's name, but she heard nothing, only able to watch as Rikku dropped her other dagger as she fell forward to her hands and knees. Paine slashed through two of the shadows in front of her with a primal yell as she ran towards Rikku, vision clouded with rage as she watched all but the shadow that had caused Rikku to fall turn and advance towards her. She was hit time and again, but ignored the pain, mind too filled with rage to care about it anymore. For each one she struck down, another stepped into it's place, a tiny corner of Paine's mind realizing that they seemed to be coming from the direction of the village, from the back of the temple.

A gunshot heralded Yuna's arrival, the gunner shouting to Rikku and Paine as she ran down the pathway. Her powered up bullet had hit a perfect headshot on one of the shadows, causing it to fall, another stepping into it's place as a group broke off from advancing on Paine to turn it's attention towards Yuna. Tidus was behind her, his sword adding to the battle as Yuna's perfect shots took down one after the other, though like Paine, she was more focused on getting to Rikku.

Rikku was trying to get away from the shadow that had struck her, scrambling back towards the ocean as much as she could. The tall shadow loomed over her, the sound of it's voice audible over the other's fighting, though no one could understand what was being said, except for Rikku. "No! That's NOT ME!" She screamed back at the horror, tears streaming down her face. "Go away!" Rikku arched her back and cried out again as a wave washed over her back, the salt stinging the wound, halting her backwards scramble

Her denial of it's accusations seemed to give the shadow even more strength, it bulking larger and larger each time, having gone past looking like a person and beginning to look more like one of the Giant class fiends. It raised it's fist into the air as it loomed over her, then swung downward.

"NO!" Paine and Yuna cried out at once, the two women breaking through the assault line of the shadows at the same moment, launching themselves at the giant shadow.

From the water behind Rikku, a shape burst from the waves and leapt towards shore. Somehow, without her changing to it, Rikku's Machina Maw appeared, the frog-like machina kicking the shadow back and into the sand as it landed in front of Rikku. Maybe it was pulled to her because of the emotion of the moment, maybe in her desperation Rikku was somehow able to contact the strange machina beast wherever it stayed when she didn't need it, but however it was that it managed to appear, Paine was eternally grateful. The shadow's fist came down on the machina's head with a dull clang, the bot shaking it off and headbutting the shadow in the chest, causing it to stagger back again. Yuna dodged back from the fighting behemoths as Paine ran about their side to Rikku, catching the girl as she fell to the side, unconscious.

Tidus yelped in surprise as the shadows he was fighting abruptly disappeared, leaving the beach empty save for the giant horror facing down Machina Maw. He ran to Yuna's side, who was staring with fascination at the fight in front of her. Wakka and Lulu reached the beach now, stopping by Yuna and Tidus.

"What in Spira is dat?" Wakka asked, automatically moving in front of Yuna and Lulu.

"I don't know! We heard Rikku scream and came here to see her and Paine fighting smaller versions of that shadow thing, and then they disappeared, and now it's just that one..." Yuna blinked a bit and shook her head, grimacing a little as she finally felt the sting of the cuts the shadows had inflicted on her.

"She wasn't lying..." Lulu pushed past Wakka, eyes locked on the shadow as it fought with the machina. "..She told me on the pilgrimage, and I didn't believe her..."

"Wait, what?" Yuna turned towards Lulu. "Rikku told you about this and you didn't believe her?" Anger flashed in the former summoner's eyes as she stared down her guardian.

Their argument was ignored by Paine as she dropped her sword in the sand so she could properly lift Rikku into her arms. Her glove was slick with the blood from Rikku's back, both she and the thief bloody and bruised from their ordeal. Shakily standing with Rikku held close to her, Paine looked to the sounds of the fight. Machina Maw was faring better than the shadow, the giant horror 'bleeding' darkness from multiple wounds, and it seemed to be on the retreat. Remembering what Rikku had said about the shadows disappearing after she passed out, she wondered what it was so different this time that gave the thing great enough strength to stay when the others had gone away. The moon reappeared, casting an eerie, surreal look over the beach, highlighting Machina Maw with a glow and starkly outlining the giant shadow. It roared in pain at the light, staggering backwards. Machina Maw took the advantage, bracing itself as it launched two rockets from it's side cannons, which convened on the shrinking shadow with a thunderous explosion of fire and light.

Shrieking, the shadow reached out towards Paine and Rikku, it's glowing eyes flaring brightly for a moment. It's windy vice called out again, this time understandable by all. "One daaay, shhhhe shhhhall paaaay, we swearr..." It's voice drifted off with the wind, a malevolent hiss. The world slowed down again as the giant slowly toppled backwards, exploding into the thick black mist as it struck the ground, and slowly faded away to nothing. Machina Maw stamped on the place that it had fallen a few times before turning and walking back into the ocean, disappearing below the waves.

Paine sank down to her knees, holding Rikku tight. She shivered lightly as a cold wind blew down the beach, silence falling aside from the hurried footsteps of the others rushing over to the two, Lulu casting Cure a few times as she did.

"Paine...what was that?" Yuna knelt down next to the warrior, reaching out to take one of Rikku's hands in hers.

Slowly shaking her head, Paine looked down at Rikku's face, grateful that she at least looked peaceful. "I don't know Yuna..."

"...but we'll see them again."


End file.
